Photo: Soniafrassati · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bottega del lattoniere

Small workshop museum devoted to the ancient craft of the tinsmith, in the San Giovanni district of Chiaramonte Gulfi.

Opening hours unknown

About the museum

The Bottega del lattoniere is a small ethnographic museum that tells the story of the ancient craft of the tinsmith (lattoniere, or stagnaio) and the art of working tinplate. It was set up as a workshop museum within the project “Botteghe dei mestieri”, promoted by the municipal administration of Chiaramonte Gulfi, and joined the town's other museums between late 2019 and early 2020.

The space is located in the old San Giovanni quarter, near the Arco dell'Annunziata, and is dedicated to Rosario Bentivegna (born 1922), a historic tinsmith who had his small workshop in Via Corallo. The collection, made up of everyday objects handmade by Bentivegna, was donated by his sister Angelina, while the display was supported by a local benefactor.

The exhibition presents working tools, period artefacts and a reconstruction of a craftsman's workshop, with lamps, funnels, tableware and household utensils that were indispensable in rural life in the past. The idea is a living museum: the workshop is designed for activities with teachers from an art school (liceo artistico) and with pupils from middle schools.

Highlights

Hand-made tinware and utensils
Reconstruction of a craftsman's workshop
Working tools of the tinsmith Rosario Bentivegna
Workshop for schools